Labyrinth
by AngelofBeauty88
Summary: Kuinnu loves three things: Her boyfriend Yami, performing and fairy tales. After a bad day at high school and an argument with Yami, she accidentally wishes her boyfriend away to the Shadow Realm of her favorite story! Now, after making a wager with Marik, the King of the Goblins and the Shadow Realm, Kuinnu only has 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth… or lose Yami forever!
1. I Wish…

Full Summery: Kuinnu loves three things: Her boyfriend Yami, performing and fairy tales. After a bad day at high school and an argument with Yami, Kuinnu accidentally wishes her boyfriend away to the Shadow Realm of her favorite story! Now, after making a wager with Marik, the King of the Goblins and the Shadow Realm, Kuinnu only has 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth… or lose Yami forever!

I don't make any profit from this fic! This is purely for entertainment and fun! _Labyrinth _belongs to Jim Henson. Yami and the others belong to Kazuki Takahashi. Kuinnu belongs to me!

**Chapter 1: "**I Wish…" ~Labyrinth~****

_Every story has some amount of truth to them._

_"Once upon a time there was a beautiful young woman whose stepmother always made her stay with the baby. The baby was a spoiled child who wanted everything for himself, and the young woman was practically a slave girl. But what no one knew was this: the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with her, and given her certain powers. One night, when the baby had been particularly nasty, the girl called on the goblins to help her. And they said to her, 'Say your right words, and we'll take the baby away to the Goblin City, and then you'll be free.' Those were their words to her. But the girl knew that the King of the Goblins would keep the baby in his castle forever and ever, and he would turn the baby into a goblin. And so she suffered in silence, through many a long month ... until one night, worn out by a day of slaving at housework, and hurt beyond measure by the harsh, ungrateful words of her stepmother, she could bear it no longer."_

_This was the beginning of the favorite tale of one young woman. A girl, not too unlike the heroine of her story. And she would soon discover just how much truth there was in her favorite fairy tale all along; how some stories are more truth than fiction.  
><em>

* * *

><p>"Give me the child." She said in a firm tone of voice, taking a step forward. Her cream white dress was flowing in the wind, her satin skirt brushing against her legs and her bright blonde hair, which was decorated with white and pale pink blossoms, flying like a banner behind her in the breeze. "Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City, to take back the child that you have stolen." She continued to speak in a firm, unwavering tone, her ocean blue eyes equally as firm.<br>The man who she spoke to took a step backwards. His violet eyes were showing fear of the girl before him. Standing against the wind, his deep plum colored, almost black, cloak all but hugged his body from the force of the wind against his back.  
>"For my will is as strong as yours. And my kingdom is as great!" The girl continued to speak, taking a step forward as he retreated.<br>She stopped, looking unsure. "My will is as strong as yours… My kingdom as great…" A frustrated groan escaped the young woman as she ran a hand through her hair. "Dammit. I can never remember that damn line." Kuinnu gave a light growl as she broke character and pulled out a copy of her script. "'You have no power over me.' Why can I never remember that line?"  
>"Maybe it's because you're already worried about remembering the rest of the script, for one?" Her boyfriend, Yami, said as he walked over to her with a soft smile on his face. He turned to a friend who stood just offstage. "Joey! Kill the wind machine!"<br>A taller blonde teenage boy nodded to Yami and turned off the machine that he had been managing for the scene. As the wind died down, another tall teenage boy walked over to the couple, handing the two some water bottles. "You guys looked like you can use some refreshments." The spike haired teen said with a smile.  
>"Thanks Tristan, I actually am pretty thirsty. I didn't realize how long we'd been rehearsing." Kuinnu said, taking one of the water bottles and opening it before taking a long drink of the water inside the plastic bottle.<br>"Long enough. School's almost over. Maybe half an hour left." Tristan replied to the girl. "You guys might wanna go and get changed before the bell rings."

"Hey! Princess Pain-in-the-ass!" A voice yelled from the audience area, catching Kuinnu's attention. Her eyes narrowed at a teenage girl with almost shoulder length brown hair. She was dressed in a yellow shirt, which flowed like a skirt at her thighs, with a pink waist coat over it and a blue mini-skirt underneath it. A pair of brown knee-high boots completed the rest of her outfit.  
>"What do you want, Anzu?" Kuinnu asked the other girl. Anzu never did like the fact that Kuinnu and Yami were dating, since Anzu herself had been trying to get with the violet eyed teen for quite a few years. On top of that, Anzu believed that Kuinnu deliberately 'stole' Yami just to spite her, which was the farthest from the truth. After Kuinnu broke up with her first boyfriend, Yami had been the one to comfort the blonde girl. And at some urging and encouragement from Joey and Tristan, Yami asked Kuinnu to be his girlfriend, which she was more than happy to say yes to. Since then, she had been the target of Anzu's fury. "If you're here to just be a bother, then you can just get lost. We're trying to rehearse for tomorrow, so you can just leave."<p>

"Well, here's the good news – You're not going to be in the show." Anzu said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The other teens just stopped and stared at the brunette. "You all heard me. I'm going to be taking her place in the show. I am her understudy after all." She said, her eyes narrowing in on the taller girl onstage.  
>"Yeah, we know the cast list, Anzu." Joey said with a frown. 'But you're only her understudy because you bullied the other two understudies into dropping out.' He thought to himself. "But what makes you think that Kuinnu's not going to be in the show?" He asked.<br>"Because, earlier today during a locker inspection, Ms. Chrono found some cheat sheets in her locker. Among other things." Anzu replied, still half glaring at Kuinnu. "She was rather shocked when she found some birth control pills in there as well, along with some condoms."  
>"That's a lie! I don't cheat! I don't even use birth control, let alone have sex. And even if I did, why would I have those here?" Kuinnu snapped at the other girl, her face bright red with anger and embarrassment.<br>"Just to prove how much of a slut you really are." Anzu said curtly. "You hardly talk to anyone to begin with. You spend almost all your time in the library and gods only know what you could _really_ be doing in there. But regardless, until this whole matter is settled, you know that Mr. Taylor's not going to let you perform. And even more so, if they decide to suspend you for what they found in your locker. I believe that with those condoms and pills, it's called 'misconduct on school grounds'." She added. The chocolate haired girl could see Kuinnu was on the verge of tears. And so could Yami, Joey and Tristan.

"Yami, why don't you and Kuinnu head home? I'll talk to Mr. Taylor about this load of bullshit that Anzu's talking about." Joey said to his best friend. Joey could see how upset Kuinnu was getting from all of this. It had been her idea to turn her favorite book into a script for their play and she had given a good audition to get the role of the female lead. But unfortunately, the girl was a bit of a social outcast with very few friends. The Brooklyn teen could tell right away that a rumor like this would be one to damage, if not destroy, her reputation for some time. That was exactly what Anzu wanted; Joey already knew that for a fact. "You two just go get changed and head home."  
>Yami only nodded to his friend and led his girlfriend to the dressing rooms. "I'll call you a bit later, Joey." He said as he led Kuinnu away from the stage area and too the dressing rooms.<p>

It didn't take long for Kuinnu to change out of her costume and into her own clothes; A white blouse with a red duster jacket, a navy blue skirt and black thigh-high boots. She had removed the fake flowers from her hair and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. All her costume jewelry was off now as well, leaving only her blue rose stud earrings, a few thin gold banded bracelets on her right wrist, and most importantly, her favorite necklace. A small glass vial filled with some sort of liquid, with a tiny rose inside hanging from a thin, silver chain. It had been a gift from Yami for their six month anniversary. Once she was fully dressed and she had made sure that she had gathered all of her belongings, Kuinnu waited in the hallway for Yami. Yami was dressed in his own clothes fairly quickly as well; a black linen shirt, navy blue jacket, tight blue jeans, studded wristbands, a belt-like collar necklace and black boots. It surprised Kuinnu how fast her boyfriend could get dressed, especially when it came to his hair. But it was just another mystery about the teen that she loved.

As the two teens walked to the front of the building, Yami noticed that Kuinnu kept her gaze to the ground. She only did that when she was really upset. And with Anzu's threat, he couldn't blame her for being upset. The multicolored haired teen gave a light sigh. Looking up and seeing the sky in the distance, the blonde girl only grumbled. "Kuinnu… I don't think you should listen to Anzu. I doubt Mr. Taylor would pull you out of the show with just one day left until the debut." The teenage boy said, trying to get her to cheer up somehow.  
>"Can today get any worse?" Kuinnu said as it began to rain when she and Yami reached the front of the school building. "Great…"<br>"C'mon. We'll just have to make a dash for it." Yami said as he took off his jacket, placed it on his girlfriend's head and grabbed her hand before they ran out into the rain, keeping his wine colored eyes on their destinations. They would have to stop multiple times along the way, but if they kept up a good speed, they could avoid getting too soaked.

* * *

><p>"Oh, it's not fair!" Kuinnu yelled as they finally reached her house, both teens rather soaked from the long run in the rain. Pulling out her house keys, Kuinnu managed to unlock and open the front door, allowing both teens to get inside and away from the rain. Once inside, she shut and locked the door again, shivering from her wet clothes and from the slight chill in the air of the house. She noticed Yami shivering a bit as well as she took off his wet jacket and tried to dry it out.<br>"Go up to the bathroom. There's a robe in there you can use while I throw your clothes in the dryer for a few minutes. And you can use the hair dryer as well." The blonde girl said. Yami gave a light blush but nodded, heading upstairs and his girlfriend following behind him.

Once in the bathroom, the teenage boy stripped his body of his wet clothes and accessories and found the robe she had mentioned hanging on the back of the door. It was a lovely robe that resembled a kimono, with cerulean 'silk' and images of white cranes flying over what could have been the sea, and different types of white flowers. He shut the robe tightly and tied it with the sash before finding the hair dryer and quickly allowing himself to dry out some of his hair. He didn't need to have it fully dry, air drying it the rest of the way would work. After about five minutes, he left the room, finding Kuinnu waiting in the hall for him. He handed her his clothes with a light blush on his cheeks.  
>"I'll go put these in the dryer and bring up something to drink. You can wait in my room." His girlfriend said before she headed back downstairs before Yami really could object about any of it.<p>

Kuinnu's room always made Yami feel a bit uneasy whenever he walked into it. It was a lovely room to be sure, with polished cherry wood furniture including the bed, dresser, nightstand, desk and a large, antique looking chest that Kuinnu kept at the foot of her bed. Even the shelves, both large and small, seemed to be made of the same polished cherry wood. Kuinnu had always loved cherry blossoms, so to Yami, it made some sense that she enjoyed having cherry wood in her bedroom. The bed itself was a queen-sized bed, maybe a king, the teen couldn't really remember. It had two posts at the head of the bed with a lovely carved and decorated headboard, engravings of roses and other flowers adding beauty to the wooden headboard. From the posts there was a small canopy that had thin curtains connected to them, draping down beside the bed, in a nice violet color that was almost a perfect match for the purple bedding that Kuinnu had covering her bed.

As Yami sat down on the bed, he let his amethyst eyes wander around his beloved's bedroom. He first glanced over to the pillow where he saw a few of Kuinnu's favorite plush dolls resting against her pillows. All of them Pokémon dolls; A Mew named Ichigo, a Ho-Oh called Suzaku and finally Noctis the Umbreon. A tiny smirk crossed Yami's lips as he picked up Noctis and looked at the black and yellow doll. The rest of her dolls and plushies were set on top of the chest in a big group, in no real particular order. In some way, he envied Noctis and the other two dolls. They were always so close to his angel, watched over her when she slept, and she probably confided in them much more than she did in him. It did hurt a bit that Kuinnu wouldn't confide in him at times, but Yami knew that Kuinnu had particular issues that she had trouble talking about. Putting the plush toy down after a moment, the multicolored haired teen let his eyes wander around the room again. The walls were an off white, like a light cream color. Posters for fantasy movies like 'The Lord of the Rings' were placed at different parts of the walls, with Kuinnu's dragon painting calendar hanging near her bed.

On one wall was a large bookshelf. Most of the books were of the fantasy and/or romance genre, along with many books of mythologies from ancient cultures, all ordered in alphabetical order by author and then by release within the author's group. Below the shelves with the actual books were the shelves that held the blonde girl's mangas, ordered alphabetically by series. Glancing over at another shelf that stood next to the TV that the girl had in her room, Yami let his eyes wander over the DVDs that Kuinnu had in her collection. The first two shelves were all Disney-related, listed by year of release, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves' being first, and the rest following in correct release order, sequels next to their original movie. Below those shelves where her 'other' movies, all listed in alphabetical order, with her few anime DVDs on the bottom shelf in the same alphabetical order.

Figurines and small statues of mermaids, fairies, angels, dragons and other creatures decorated a special shelf on the wall next to the closet, others decorating the vanity top of Kuinnu's dresser, placed neatly around the jewelry box and large mirror. Masks of many colors and designs hung next to the one shelf, making Yami give a faint smile. Kuinnu had always longed to go to a real masquerade ball. And Yami had to admit, the thought of his girlfriend in a beautiful gown with an elegant mask was a pleasant mental image one to him. 'Kuinnu's a dreamer, but that's just another reason why I love her.' He thought to himself as he leaned back a bit on the bed, his gaze glancing out the window at the rain that continued to fall. In a tree near the house, he saw a white owl. He had seen this owl before, usually somewhere near the house. Pallas, Kuinnu had named it after seeing it for gods only knew how long. Something about that owl never sat right with him. Like every time he saw it, the bird seemed to be glaring at him with violet eyes. Yami did _not_ trust that bird.

As his girlfriend finally returned with some sodas, and his dry clothes, Yami stood up off the bed, watching her reactions carefully. He could tell that what Anzu had said about her missing the play due to 'misconduct on school grounds' had hit the golden haired girl hard, very hard. And that she was not talking about it deliberately just to avoid the topic. "Kuinnu… You can't let that rumor that Anzu mentioned get to you. We both know that you'd never do anything like that." Yami said, breaking the silence. He watched and waited for her to reply, but she only left the room again, allowing him privacy to change. The spiky haired teen had also noticed that she hadn't changed out of her wet clothes. 'Then again, her clothes didn't get nearly as wet as mine.' He thought to himself. Once the door was shut, he quickly changed back into his own clothes and then went to find his 'princess'.

Yami found the girl in the living room, sitting on the sand colored, plush sofa. "Kuinnu…?"  
>"That bitch Anzu… She planned all this. I know she did. She wanted to get at me in one of the ways she knew would hurt me the most. By destroying my hopes of acting in a play that was MY idea." Kuinnu said, shaking in anger at the thought of the brunette girl. "She's hated me ever since you and I started dating. No, even before that. Probably ever since we entered high school. She knew that I don't have a lot of friends at school. That I don't talk to a lot of people, and that I keep to myself more often than not."<br>"Kuinnu, please calm down." Yami said, going over to her and trying to hug the upset young woman in an attempt to make her feel better.  
>"I can't calm down, Atem!" Kuinnu snapped, using her boyfriend's birth name. Most times, his friends called him Yami since 'Atem' wasn't a very common name. On top of that, he preferred his nickname to his actual name.<br>Kuinnu looked at him with upset eyes. "She wanted to shatter my dreams of being an actress and letting me live out my fairy tale. And it looks like she accomplished just that."

'Live out my fairy tale.' The thought alone made the teenage boy worry for his girlfriend. He knew that Kuinnu was a dreamer, and often she seemed to be waiting for a handsome prince on a white horse to appear and take her away for a better life. In many ways, he wanted to be that prince for her. He was not without dreams of his own, romantic ideas came to him from time to time. He truly wanted to make her happy, because he truly loved her. But even he knew when to draw the line to cross between fantasy and reality. "Kuinnu, I love you, but one of these days, you'll need to stop having such childish dreams and grow up." Yami said, a look of concern in his wine colored eyes.  
>"So… you think I'm being a child?" Kuinnu asked, looking down and pulling away from the spiky haired teenager.<br>"Kuinnu, I know you love your fantasy stories, but life isn't always like your stories. One of these days you'll have to stop living in a fantasy world and grow up like all people have to at some point." Yami said, unintentionally raising his voice. "You need to stop being an immature child and open your eyes to the truth of the world."

As a bolt of lightning flashed outside, Kuinnu's hand moved faster than he could follow as she slapped her boyfriend across the face, tears forming in her sapphire eyes.

_Once upon a time there was a beautiful young woman…  
><em>  
>Jumping up from the sofa, the golden blonde ran back upstairs to her room. She could hear the heavy footsteps of Yami's boots behind her, but she managed to reach her room first and shut and locked the door behind her. Almost instantly, the other teen began to pound on her bedroom door, trying to apologize and get his beloved to come out of her room.<p>

_But what no one knew was this: the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with her, and given her certain powers.  
><em>  
>She grabbed her favorite book, 'Labyrinth', clutching it to her chest and felt tears trying to slip down her cheeks. Even her own boyfriend thought that she was immature, childish and that she needed to 'grow up'. What was so wrong with having dreams? What was wrong about loving fairy tales and fantasy stories? High school was already a cruel place, and she didn't want the constant reminder of that fact.<p>

_'Say your right words,' the Goblins said. _

"Kuinnu, please! Open the door!" Yami's voice called out from the other side of the door. A feeling of fear, maybe even dread, was growing in the youth's stomach. He couldn't explain why he felt so uneasy all of a sudden, but he did. He knew something bad was going to happen.  
><em><br>Until one night…  
><em>  
>Kuinnu shut her eyes, letting go of her book and covering her ears with her hands to try and block Yami's voice out. She was so mad at him, so hurt by his words. She didn't want to see him anymore. Slowly, a few tears falling down her cheeks, she opened her mouth. "I wish… I wish…"<p>

_She could bear it no longer…  
><em>  
>"I wish the goblins would come and take you away! Right now!" She yelled, trying to forget what he had said to her earlier. A crash of thunder and flash of lightning caused the blonde girl to whimper, due to her astraphobia. When she opened her eyes again and removed her hands from her ears, she could tell that the banging on her door had stopped. And not only that, the rain outside had stopped as well. And she was scared.<p>

The entire house had an eerie quiet to it now. Unlocking her bedroom door, the now-timid girl opened the door and came out of her room. She felt her heartbeat quickening as she saw that the lights in the house were out, leaving the house fairly dark, and the clouded skies outside didn't help. Thankfully, the house was not pitch black. "…Yami?" She called out, slowly walking towards the stairs. The young woman didn't dare try to run in the darkness. She walked downstairs cautiously. With little to no light, she didn't want to bump into something by accident, let alone fall down the stairs. "Yami?" She called a bit louder, managing to find a light switch and turn on the light for the living room. Once she could see better, Kuinnu rushed to the door, only to find it still locked. That fact made her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. If the door was still locked, Yami didn't leave through the front door. 'Is he still somewhere in the house?" She wondered to herself before hearing a strange little sound. It sounded like something scampering up the stairs, mixed with a sort of mocking chuckle.

Kuinnu quickly followed the sound upstairs, hearing it leading her further down the hall, towards the master bedroom, her father's room. The blonde girl entered the room slowly, seeing her father's room in perfect order. "Yami?" She called out, almost in a whisper, her voice half-stolen away by fear. She reached for the light switch and tried to turn on the lights. Nothing. The room was as dark as the rest of the house. Outside, she could hear the wind blowing hard, and shadows and images of a bird, an owl, trying to enter the room through the window could be seen. Behind her, Kuinnu heard something snicker, both mockingly and joyously. She spun around and saw the shadow of another creature duck down again behind the chest of drawers. Shadows were scuttling across the walls, taunting, teasing, and mocking the scared girl. Goblins were prancing and bobbing behind her. Kuinnu could only turn this way and that, trying to catch a glimpse of the small, strange creatures that were scuttling all about in her father's bedroom.

Finally, an especially strong wind managed to force the windows open, allowing the owl to fly into the room. Kuinnu could only yelp in surprise and fear, her arms covering her face instinctively as the predatory bird flew at her, circling her a few times before seeming to fly out of the room and out into the night. Only a few moments after the bird was gone, a shadow appeared on the ground in front of the scared girl.

When she lowered her arms, Kuinnu saw a young man, probably close to the same age as herself, maybe a bit older. Eyes of sapphire met eyes of amethyst, and the girl felt her heart stopping. Fear spread across her eyes, even though she would have tried to hide it. Her throat felt dry as she opened her mouth to speak.  
>"You're him, aren't you?" Kuinnu asked, feeling a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as realization hit her. "You're the Goblin King."<p>

A smug smile crossed the young man's lips.

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><p>I'm finally done with chapter one! TwT You wouldn't believe how long I was slaving away at this first chapter alone. I wanted to try something different in terms of the story. The movie and few 'adaptaions' I've seen all have the girl, or boy in some cases, going after a little brother. So I thought, 'what if it was a lover who was wished away?' This is the start of that result.<br>One thing I wanna point out is that I'm taking inspiration not only from the movie, but from the novel version as well, as well as a few other fairy tales as well. Sarah's labyrinth apparently was inspired by some of her favorite stories, so I'm doing the same with mine.  
>I'm already working on the rest of this, so please review and let me know what you guys think!<p> 


	2. Into The Labyrinth

I don't make any profit from this fic! This is purely for entertainment and fun! _Labyrinth _and the Worm belong to Jim Henson. Marik and the others belong to Kazuki Takahashi. Kuinnu belongs to me!

**Chapter 2: Into the Labyrinth ~Alice in Wonderland~**

_Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Alice. Alice was very curious and that often caused her to get into odd situations of trouble. One day, she followed a strange White Rabbit down a rabbit hole, and found herself in an even stranger place called Wonderland. She encountered many strange creatures and characters as she wandered through Wonderland. A Cheshire Cat, a Mad Hatter and his companions of the March Hare and the Dormouse and even a rather odd blue Caterpillar, among many others, most of whom were not much help to her. It was still a rather curious place, full of possibility, however. What if Alice found she liked Wonderland more than she wanted to admit?  
><em>

* * *

><p>When she lowered her arms, Kuinnu saw a young man, probably close to the same age as herself, maybe a bit older. Eyes of sapphire met eyes of amethyst, and the girl felt her heart stopping. Fear spread across her eyes, even though she would have tried to hide it. Her throat felt dry as she opened her mouth to speak.<br>"You're him, aren't you?" Kuinnu asked, feeling a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as realization hit her. "You're the Goblin King."

A smug smile crossed the young man's lips.

A wave of guilt, shock and fear washed over the girl as she felt the full force of what happened and what was happening hit her. "I want my boyfriend back, please, if it's all the same." She said, praying silently that her words, her wish, could be undone.

The young man let a slight sigh fall from his lips, tempering a chuckle of amusement. "What is said is said, my dear. I'm afraid it's rather rude of you, making two such troublesome requests in a single evening." He replied with a slight bow towards the blonde teen.  
>"B-but... I didn't mean it." Kuinnu said, fighting off a blush as the young royal bowed to her, as well as holding back the urge to return his gesture with a bow or curtsy. "I was just mad, and shot my mouth off without thinking in the heat of the moment."<br>He looked ever more amused. "Didn't you, now? You know, the most grievous offences are made in the heat of the moment. Blazing in the anger of one's frustration, or called upon in moments of apparent love." He chided, as if to imply something. The young man of sandy blonde hair took a step nearer. "A temper is a thing that should be restrained, yet you allow it free reign."

The biracial girl looked down, looking at her hand. She remembered how she had slapped Yami before running away from him like an immature child. "I... I admit that I can let my temper get the better of me, but I never meant for him to be..." She looked up at him, trying to remain composed and not cry in front of her 'guest'. "Taken away."  
>"What's said is said." He repeated taking a seat for the moment on her father's bed. "Besides, if you can get so easily angry with him, then maybe you shouldn't be with him anyway"<br>"No. You don't know anything about me and Yami." Kuinnu said defensively, balling her fists. "We have our moments, but we really do love one another."  
>"Fine. I know nothing, except that you wished him away. That certainly is a twisted variety of love, isn't it?" The blonde royal asked, sounding amused as he rose from his spot. His regal colored eyes never left the girl.<br>"But I didn't mean it." The human girl snapped, trying to stay calm in front of not only a royal, but one who probably had more power than she could imagine. It was then that it dawned on her that she still hadn't caught his name. "Who are you, exactly?" She asked him somewhat timidly.  
>"Marik, King of the Goblin City, Lord of the Labyrinth, and Master of the Shadow Realm." He introduced himself, taking her hand and kissing it gently. His deep blue-violet eyes stayed locked on her ocean colored eyes, and Kuinnu felt her stomach doing flip-flops while she took in his appearance. His pale blonde hair was layered, resting on and around his shoulder area, while a golden 'crown' with a strange design that made her think of Ancient Egypt rested on his brow, part of it hidden by his bangs. She also noticed a pair of golden earrings hanging from his ears and golden bands as some sort of necklace on his neck as well. Both the gold of the jewelry and his pale hair seemed to perfectly compliment his tanned skin. It was obvious that his tone was natural; perfectly and evenly colored, like polished bronze. Kuinnu let her eyes drift downwards slowly, taking in the rest of the young king's appearance. Almost everything on him was black. A black poet's styled shirt, a black vest overtop the shirt, tight black pants that seemed to be made of some material she couldn't place, black boots that went up to his knees and a black cape that hung on his shoulders and fell behind him perfectly. The young woman noticed a pair of bracelets that seemed to cover three-quarters of his forearms and probably was the only thing on him, along with the rest of his jewelry, that wasn't black.<p>

"Kuinnu… Go back to your room. Play with your many toys and dolls. Dress yourself up in your costumes and your makeup. Read your many fairy tale books. Forget about the boy." The Goblin King said calmly, watching her with an intense gaze. Slowly, he raised a hand and touched her cheek softly for a brief moment.  
>Kuinnu could see something in his violet eyes, but what exactly it was she couldn't place. Slowly, she shook her head in objection. "I can't do that."<br>Seeing that she was going to be stubborn, the Shadow King decided it was time to try another approach to the matter. "I've brought you…" Marik said, holding up his hand and summoning a beautiful crystal orb about the size of a baseball to his hands. "A gift."  
>"What is it?" Kuinnu asked, seeing the crystal and finding it lovely, if not somewhat ordinary in its appearance.<br>"It's a crystal. Nothing more, nothing less." Marik said, moving it around in such a quick and fluid motion that it almost seemed like the crystal was floating atop his hand. "But if you turn it this way, and look into it…" He said, moving to stand next to the teenage girl. "It will show you your dreams."  
>'Show me my dreams?' Kuinnu thought, seeing only her reflection on the surface of the crystal before faint images began to form inside it. She could see herself singing on stage, wearing a beautiful gown that shimmered in the light, with a large audience applauding her when she finished.<br>"Do you want it?" Marik asked, whispering in her ear gently, before moving back to stand in front of her again and catching her gaze with his own. He held the crystal out to her, waiting for her to take it from him.  
>Did she want it? Why would she not want it? It was beautiful in its own right, but it also could show her dreams? Clearly, this man, Marik, understood her, knew her secret desires and wishes. He understood how much her dreams meant to her. Out of a subconscious instinct, Kuinnu grabbed the charm of her necklace, gripping it lightly.<br>"Then forget about the boy." The young ruler added after a moment.  
>The crystal… for Yami? No. Not even that beautiful crystal was worth giving up her boyfriend, her prince. Shaking her head slowly in refusal, Kuinnu let her eyes lock with Marik's. "Please..." She said, her voice lowering to a softer tone. "Please, bring him back. Please."<p>

"Again, you ask so much of me. One moment you wish him gone, the next you want him back. I do not feel like catering to your whims if they waver so much, my dear." The Goblin King replied with an irritated tone as he pulled his hand back and the crystal vanished.  
>"Where is he then?" Kuinnu asked, letting her azure eyes take in his appearance carefully yet again, all the while struggling not to blush.<br>"He's exactly where you think he is." Marik said turning, flourishing his cape to reveal the scenery outside the window altered to one of a curiously barren looking landscape with a great labyrinth and beyond that, a great palace in the distance.  
>The young woman quickly moved to the window, soon finding herself standing on the top of a hill overlooking the landscape of the great maze. "Is that... the castle beyond the Goblin City?" Kuinnu asked slowly, before turning back to the young king. "Then… if I make it to your castle, I can find Yami? Isn't that correct...?"<br>"You might find him there." Marik said softly. "But I should advise you, turn back. If you turn back now, things will be undoubtedly better." He added, watching the teenage girl's reactions. "Do you still want to look for him?"  
>Kuinnu only turned and seemed to stare at the Goblin King. The look in her sapphire eyes was that of complete determination. She made this mistake, and she would fix it. "I do. And I will find him."<p>

A light sigh escaped the youthful king's lips as he continued to watch the girl whose wish had summoned him from his own realm. "What a pity." Marik said as raised his hand as he walked in front of her, a small smirk crossing his lips as he moved towards her. The Shadow King could only stare into those deep blue eyes of hers. Her eyes that showed how pure and innocent she still was. She was a child in the body of a young woman. "You have 13 hours in which to solve the Labyrinth or your 'prince' will be at my mercy, and you shall _never_ see him again." The Goblin King told her, turning slightly to a clock that seemed to just hang in midair. Where it even came from at all, Kuinnu had absolutely no idea, and she decided not to think about it too much.  
>"Oh. One more thing, my dear." The young royal said as he lifted his hand towards her direction and smirked a bit.<br>Kuinnu struggled not to blush as the Shadow King conjured a brilliantly beautiful red rose, before he reached over and gently set the flower securely in her hair tie of her ponytail. The beauty of the flower only added to her own in the king's eyes.  
>"This special rose has 13 petals, my Light. The petals will not fall unless a single hour has passed. This will be your only way of keeping track of how much time you have left." Marik told her. "When the last petal falls, your time is up. And you will have lost this little game."<br>'My light?' She thought, not sure how to respond to his name for her. The azure-eyed girl glared at the taller blonde, to which the gleam in his eyes only seemed to grow. "I'll _win_ this so-called game of yours, Marik." Kuinnu told the Shadow King in a firm and determined tone of voice. "And when I do find Yami, we'll go home together."  
>The Goblin King narrowed his eyes a bit at her, backing away and starting to fade into thin air, along with the clock. "Remember. Only 13 hours. Such a pity." His voice said as he vanished entirely from her sight.<p>

Once the Shadow King was gone, Kuinnu looked around for a few moments before taking a deep breath and heading down the hill and towards the entrance of the Labyrinth. She walked slowly, so as not to fall on her way down the rather steep side of the hill, feeling glad when she finally reached the bottom. Her azure eyes scanned the area, taking in the sight of the walls of the great maze now that she was up close to it. She could make out what appeared to be a type of ivy and some sort of white flower growing on the walls. Although she found the flowers to be pretty, Kuinnu had to remind herself that she wasn't there to admire the local flora. She was there to rescue her boyfriend. The mortal wandered for a few feet, looking for something that even vaguely resembled an entrance of sorts. She soon spotted what appeared to her to be two people standing and talking to one another. 'Maybe they can help me get inside.' Kuinnu thought, knowing that while Marik had given her the initial challenge of getting through the Labyrinth, he neglected to tell her exactly _how_ to enter the great maze. A frown crossed her face briefly at the realization. He probably _wanted_ her to waste time finding a way inside.  
>Taking another deep breath and pushing thoughts of the Goblin King out of her mind, the teenage girl began to jog towards the duo, praying that they could help her somehow. "Excuse me?" She called out loud enough to get their attention.<br>Upon seeing the blonde girl, one of the two, who appeared to be a woman, gave a yell of fear and vanished. In doing so, Kuinnu blinked numerous times in confusion. "She… vanished..?"  
>"What is a human like you doing here in the Shadow Realm?" The man asked, turning and half glaring at the young girl.<br>Kuinnu only blushed a bit, as she looked at the man, noticing his appearance. His sharp eyes were a piercing blue-violet color, seeming to stare right through her, body and soul. His skin, like Marik's, was perfectly and naturally tanned like bronze. Also, she noticed a similar pair of markings around his eyes that Marik had as well. She wondered if all people in this realm had those markings. Glancing up a bit, Kuinnu saw how his chocolate colored hair hung loosely around his shoulders, with his bangs framing his face all too perfectly. Her eyes slowly drifted downwards and noticed the golden armbands on his biceps and wrists. Covering his torso was a wine-colored vest that was slightly opened at the top, with beige colored pants that seemed to cling to his legs and a darker violet sash wrapped around his waist and hanging off the left side of his body. A pair of matching beige colored slippers, though a bit darkened by dirt and sand, covered his feet.  
>"Well, what are you doing here?" He asked again, his eyes still narrowed.<p>

"Excuse me, but I'm trying to get into the Labyrinth. Can you help me?" The human girl asked, trying to be as polite as possible. She had no idea who this man was, or what he could be capable of. Therefore, logically, she didn't want to get on his bad side and possibly end up getting hurt. And Kuinnu did not like the thought of pain, especially in such a strange and mysterious place like this. However, when the man didn't answer and seemed to ignore her question, she felt herself getting mad. Kuinnu forced herself to remain calm. 'Okay then, let's try this a different way.' She thought. "Can you at least tell me your name, sir?" She asked.  
>"My name is Mahado. Some call me The Magician." The man said calmly, watching the mortal girl carefully. "Who are you?" He asked, even though he really didn't care who the girl was.<br>'Interesting nickname.' She thought to herself. "I'm Kuinnu." The human girl said, just watching the chestnut haired male beauty in front of her. Taking a moment to clear her throat, and her thoughts, the girl decided to ask for his help again. "Do you know where the door to the Labyrinth is?"  
>Mahado didn't look at her as he moved towards a small area which resembled something like a small camp. "Maybe."<br>"All right then, where is it?" Kuinnu asked, her eyes lighting up. When a few moments passed that Mahado said nothing, her expression returned to its previous one. "I said, where is it?"  
>"Where is what?" He answered in a bored tone.<br>"The door."  
>"What door?"<br>"The door into the Labyrinth." The girl said, balling her fists.  
>"What about it?" Mahado said, throwing a handful of some sort of powder into the fire.<br>"UGH! It's hopeless to ask you anything!" Kuinnu snapped, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down. Getting worked up wouldn't help anything, she just had to keep that in mind.  
>Mahado only shook his head, partly in annoyance. The sooner he got rid of her, the better for him. "Not, if you ask the right questions." He told the human girl.<p>

The teenager looked over at him, taking another deep breath. "How do I get into the Labyrinth?" She said, sounding exhausted just from talking to the handsome man.  
>Hearing her say the 'correct' question, Mahado turned back to her and stood up. "Now that's more like it." He answered, still calm as ever. "You get in, through there." He said, pointing to a large gate with two doors that slowly started to open on their own.<br>Kuinnu watched as the doors of the Labyrinth opened on their own and shuddered lightly. She inhaled deeply through her nose and walked towards the now opened 'gate'. 'I guess there's no going back now…' She thought, taking slow steps. Inside were two identical passages on either side, with stone walls stretching on as far as the eye could see. Kuinnu walked in a bit further, looking down one pathway.  
>"Not too welcoming, is it?" Mahado said behind the girl, causing Kuinnu to yelp in surprise. "So, which way will you go? Left…" He turned and gestured with his left hand. "Or right?" He asked, doing the same with his right hand.<br>Kuinnu just looked down both directions, feeling uneasy. "Hmmm… Which way would you go?" She asked him.  
>"Neither. Why would I want to venture through this hell trap anyways?" Mahado said with a tone that made Kuinnu wanna strangle 'the Magician'.<br>"You know, if you're not gonna help me, then you can just leave. I have a limited amount of time to solve this thing and if you're gonna just waste my time, then excuse me." The mortal girl said. Her tone of voice clearly said she was not in a mood for his antics.  
>"I'll give you one piece of advice." Mahado said to the girl. "Watch yourself in there."<br>"What's that supposed to mean?" Kuinnu asked the magician. Although she was hiding it externally, she was actually worried by his words.  
>"Nothing is what it seems inside the Labyrinth." The bronze-skinned man said calmly but all the while serious. "You can't trust your eyes alone. And you can't always trust the words of the people inside either. Especially the King's words."<br>The mortal girl could only shudder lightly at his tone of voice. "Well, to be honest I don't plan on trusting the Goblin King anyways. It's because of him that I'm here."  
>Mahado raised an eyebrow at her words. While he was curious enough to ask her about it, he decided against it and moved to return to the outside of the Labyrinth. He wanted to distance himself from the maze of deception and its master. Without looking back at Kuinnu, Mahado walked out of the gate entranceway, the large doors shutting behind him.<p>

The tall brunette made his way back to his small camp, thinking about what the girl had said.

_"Well, to be honest I don't plan on trusting the Goblin King anyways. It's because of him that I'm here."_

Humans who knew the correct words to wish away a child to the Shadow Realm nowadays were very, very few. Times had changed in the Human Realm, and now the power of magic had faded a great deal. If that young woman was there because of the Goblin King, then apparently she had managed to say the right words. A light sigh escaped the Magician's lips. He felt a bit sorry for the girl now. Clearly she had no idea what she was getting herself into. Marik was a very cruel and twisted monarch. And he enjoyed watching others suffer as they tried to navigate his Labyrinth, especially humans. He sighed again, pitying the poor girl and her current predicament. However, Mahado remembered the look of determination in the girl's sapphire eyes. Determination alone wouldn't be enough to navigate through the great maze. But there was also something else in her eyes. Something he couldn't put his finger on. Still, Mahado found himself hoping that the young human would be alright. She seemed like a nice girl. And it would be a shame if she ended up hurt, or worse, just because she was trying to find and save someone she loved. Mahado knew full well that the Goblin King didn't show mercy to anyone. And the mage seriously doubted that Marik would show any mercy to the honey haired girl.

* * *

><p>"Ugh… this path just keeps going on and on. No turns, no openings, no nothing…." Kuinnu growled, punching a wall before leaning against it in frustration at her current progress. "What kind of person designs a labyrinth that just keeps going straight?" She had walked for what she thought may have been five to ten minutes, and already she was annoyed. She had passed maybe a mile or so already of nothing but stone walls, fallen tree branches and the occasional large rock in the middle of the road. Also, she was regretting that she hadn't changed out of her knee-high boots. Not that she wasn't used to walking around in them a great deal, it was more that she felt like she was starting to sweat. Turning her back to the wall, she slumped down until she was sitting on the stone ground.<br>"Hello, young lady." A friendly voice said to Kuinnu as she leaned against the wall. As she looked around in confusion, the voice spoke again. "Down here."  
>Her deep blue eyes followed the voice and landed on a small light blue worm who was sitting on one of the loose stones in the wall that she was leaning against.<br>"Um… Did you just… talk to me?" The blonde girl said, blinking a few times as she stared at the worm.  
>"Yes I did." The worm replied with a smile.<br>"Okay… So, now a worm's talking to me… Not the weirdest thing to ever happen to me but definitely in the top ten…" Kuinnu said mostly to herself, trying to stay calm. "Oh, wait! Do you know the way to get through this labyrinth?" She asked the insect.  
>"Me? Sorry, missy. Afraid I don't." The little bug replied, shaking his head a bit. "Would you like something to drink?" He offered, seeing the girl frown in disappointment.<br>"Thank you, but no. You see, I have to find a way through this labyrinth, but I can't find any turns or openings or anything! It just keeps going on and on and on in one direction." The human girl said, her frustration evident in her voice.  
>"Silly girl. This place is full of openings! It's just that you need to know how to look for them." The worm said. "Like right over there, for example. There's an opening right in front of you." He added, still giving a smile to the girl as he gestured to the opposite wall.<p>

Thinking that she had nothing to lose by investigating the worm's claim, Kuinnu stood up slowly, dusted off and straightened out her skirt and then walked over to the other wall. "Are you sure about this? That's just another wall. There's no way to get through that. Well, not without special powers or something." The teenager said.  
>"Things aren't always what they seem in this place." The worm told her, still smiling all the while at Kuinnu. "So, therefore, you can't take anything for granted, young lady."<br>'That's like what that guy Mahado said earlier.' The blonde girl thought as she carefully held up her hands. She moved them towards the side of the wall, expecting to meet with the feel of hard stone… only to find her hands keep going and revealing that there was an opening! "Hey! There really is an opening here!" Kuinnu exclaimed happily. "Thank you so much, sir!" She said, turning back to the worm before heading to the left.  
>"W-wa-wait a second!" The blue bug called after her. Kuinnu poked her head back towards the area she'd just come from. "Yes?" "Don't go that way! Never go that way!" The worm told her, almost sounding a bit panicked.<br>Kuinnu raised a light eyebrow but shrugged. The worm had helped her once, she didn't see why he would try to deceive her now. "Okay. Thanks." She said, turning and heading in the opposite direction.  
>The worm just shook his head as the girl disappeared. "If she had kept going that way, she would have gone straight to the palace. And who in their right mind would want to go there?" He asked to no one in particular before he inched his way into his home.<p>

* * *

><p>A sigh escaped the girl as she kept walking. If she had to guess as far as time, Kuinnu would've had to estimate it had been about five minutes since she left the area where she'd met the worm. At least, that's what she had to guess from the coloration of the first petal of her rose. "Where's a White Rabbit when you need one?" She thought out loud, coming to a strange crossways. Turning behind her, Kuinnu widened her eyes a bit as she caught a glimpse of Marik's great palace in the distance. From where she stood, it was clear that it was much larger than she thought before, when she had seen it up on the hill. The sight of the Goblin King's palace made her heart sink for a moment, as her thoughts turned to thoughts of Yami. Instantly, her hand reached for her necklace charm and held it tightly. Kuinnu took a deep breath as she held onto her charm. 'This is a promise. I swear on my necklace that I will make it through this Labyrinth and find Yami, and we'll go home together." She vowed to herself with a determination. Staring to move again, Kuinnu felt herself starting to sing. It wasn't totally unusual for her, as she found that she would sing whenever she was alone and usually when she was troubled by something or other. But also, she would sing to make herself feel better. And right now, that's definitely what she needed.<br>"Trippin out  
>Spinning around<br>I'm underground  
>I fell down…<br>Yeah I fell down…

I'm freaking out, where am I now?  
>Upside down and I can't stop it now<br>Can't stop me now!

I, I'll get by  
>I, I'll survive<br>When the world's crashing down  
>When I fall and hit the ground<br>I will turn myself around  
>Don't you try to stop me<br>I, I won't cry…"

Kuinnu stopped for a moment as she reached another fork, looking at her options. Left? Right? Well, last time she took the left passage, so this time she would take the right. A tiny smile crossed her lips as she sang, which soon turned into a smirk. She half wanted someone to hear her. No, she wanted Marik to hear her. To hear that she was not afraid of him or of the challenge he set for her. That she could take on anything the Shadow King and his Labyrinth threw at her.

"I found myself in Wonderland  
>Get back on my feet, the ground<br>Is this real?  
>Is this pretend?<br>I'll take a stand until the end!"

A confident smirk crossed her lips as she kept walking, quickly turning into a light jog. The jog soon turned into a run. She could feel her jacket and her flowing behind her as she ran. Could feel her heart racing a bit faster as her confidence increased with each step forward she took.  
>"I, I'll get by<br>I, I'll survive  
>When the world's crashing down<br>When I fall and hit the ground  
>I will turn myself around<br>Don't you try to stop me!  
>I, I won't cry!<p>

I, I'll get by  
>I, I'll survive<br>When the world's crashing down  
>When I fall and hit the ground<br>I will turn myself around  
>Don't you try to stop me!<br>I, and I won't cry!"

Kuinnu only smiled to herself as she kept running down her current pathway. She was not about to give up so early on. As both Mahado and the worm had told her, 'things aren't always what they seem in this place'. She just had to keep those words in mind, and she could get through the Labyrinth easily. 'I'll find you, Yami. I'll rescue you! So just wait for me!'

* * *

><p>All he had to do was wait. However, King Marik did not like to wait, for anything. That did not mean, however, that he wasn't patient. Only that he didn't enjoy having to wait. Shifting himself in his throne, the youthful looking monarch let his eyes glance around his throne room. The room itself, like most of his palace, was made of gold and alabaster, all decorated in the style of the ancient mortal Pharaohs, following the traditions that his inhuman ancestors chose to live by. Images and symbols of Ancient Egypt adorned the walls and pillars of the room, along with many images of various creatures in the Labyrinth and the Shadow Realm itself. Behind his golden throne were images of creatures and monsters of great power, ones who were respected and feared. Just as he, as the Goblin King and Master of the Labyrinth, was feared. At the top were three beasts that were colored with jewels. One decorated with rubies and garnets, another adorned with sapphires and lapis lazuli and finally, the last one, at the very top, made of gold and yellow diamonds. Below them was another great beast of power, a dragon, decorated in silver, pearls and white diamonds. And so far, it was the only one of the four beasts depicted that was not under Marik's control.<br>Turning his amethyst gaze to the sight before him, the King of Shadows looked at the subjects that controlled most of the Labyrinth. Goblins of nearly every shape and size below 4 feet could be seen doing gods only knew what. Most of them just sat and did nothing, watching others do such things like tormenting comrades, or playing with small toys that had belonged to human children in the past. While goblins could be quite 'dangerous' when in large numbers, most of them still acted like the mortal children many of them had been at one time.  
>Most times, Marik didn't care what they lot of them did. They all feared him, and knew better than to challenge him. But he did not want to see any of them right now. Right now, he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. And his thoughts were on the young, mortal woman who he had been waiting for so long to meet face to face. Slowly, Marik stood up from his elegant throne, casting his deep eyes at the many goblins in his throne room. As he stood, the Goblins in the room all turned to face their king. They all knew that he was about to say something, and probably something important.<br>"Leave me. Now." The blonde king said in a tone that all of the Goblins knew meant 'obey or die'. Or worse, 'throw him in the Bog'. The myriad of his subjects quickly rushed for the nearest exit they could find.

Once he was alone, Marik sat back down in his throne. But this time, he sat sideways, with his legs hanging over one of the arms. Conjuring up one of his crystals, the king willed it to show him Kuinnu, so that he could see her progress. She wasn't that far, still mostly on the outermost parts of the maze, slowly making her way further into the Labyrinth. It didn't matter, however. She'd never reach his palace in time to save the boy.  
>In 13 hours, Kuinnu would be his. No, not even 13 hours. According to the elegant clock that hung on the wall, she still had12 hours and 8 minutes to try and reach his great palace. And Marik would have to wait that long. After 16 years of watching her grow up, Marik would finally have her. That beautiful, radiant light that emit from her soul, would be his, and his alone. A small sigh escaped the Goblin King's lips but his smirk soon returned, shutting his eyes. '13 hours… Should I have really given her so long? All it will do is just delay the inevitable. No one knows how to get through the Labyrinth. And those that do know how to navigate it all answer to me. And they will not say anything of it, on the threat of being thrown into the Bog of Eternal Stench.' A chuckle escaped the king, trying to relax a bit more as he sat in his throne.<br>'I could have been generous, and offered the boy's freedom in exchange for her own. But my Light is as stubborn as she is beautiful. No, watching her spirit break inside the Labyrinth will be much more entertaining. And once she is broken, once she finally gives up on this foolish mission and gives in…' The bronze skinned king thought to himself, his smirk growing into a somewhat sadistic one. 'Who would have thought that one mortal boy would be all it took for her to finally say the correct words?' He thought with another chuckle. However, his chuckle faded as another thought crossed his mind. Marik knew better than anyone about the dangers of his own kingdom. Dangers that most mortals couldn't handle on their own.

"Akefia!" Marik called out firmly, opening his eyes. A shadow appeared on the closest pillar on the king's left side. From the shadow, a young man, probably about the same age, physically, as Marik, stepped out. Like most of the members of the court, he had bronze colored skin. Strangely, his hair was a grayish-white color, which was odd for one so (apparently) young. Also, on the right side of his face, the youth had a rather large scar, with two other scars connected to it. He was dressed in a long red coat and black pants that hugged his body nicely, and beige colored slipper-like shoes, with a strange gold item resting around his neck. The white haired youth bowed to the Goblin King, his dark eyes watching his master. "You called for me, Your Highness?"  
>"I have a job for you." Marik said, standing up and causing the crystal in his hands to vanish, being replaced by a golden scepter. "I have allowed a human woman to enter the Labyrinth. She has been given 13 hours to try and reach the palace. I want you to go and keep an eye on her progress." The king said firmly to his servant.<br>Akefia looked up at the king with some confusion. 'He wants me to babysit this brat that is trying to get here?' He thought to himself. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, isn't there someone better suited to watch over this woman?" The white haired man asked, not wanting to risk his own neck with a blatant refusal of his orders.  
>"Akefia, you are my personal assassin. You have the skill to remain hidden until the last moment, when you become the last thing your target sees." Marik said calmly. "This woman is different. I do not want her harmed by anything in the Labyrinth, but I also cannot allow her to reach this palace before 13 hours have passed." The Shadow King said, his violet eyes narrowed at his servant. "I want you to observe her progress, delay her when necessary and keep her out of danger. I do not want her getting hurt."<br>'Different?' Akefia thought to himself but decided against voicing his thoughts. Instead, he stood up slowly, his head still bowed to his king and master.  
>"Go. Make sure that she doesn't see you." Marik ordered firmly, turning his back to his personal assassin. The silverette wanted to argue, but said nothing as he faded into the shadows once again and vanished to go and locate the girl.<p>

Glancing across his great throne room, Marik turned his violet eyes to the crystal encased form of the young human male who Kuinnu had accidentally wished into his realm. His regal eyes narrowed in mild annoyance. This mortal boy had dared to think that Kuinnu could be his lover. And what probably irritated him even more was the youth's name. 'Yami', she had called him. This impudent whelp dared to think he could call himself the darkness? _He _was the darkness. Thankfully, for Yami anyways, until the 13 hours had come and gone, Marik could not hurt the boy. By ancient magics and rules that went with traditions older than time, the Shadow King could not hurt the youth until the time limit he'd given Kuinnu was over. No, Yami was just a prize that Kuinnu had to win from the Goblin King. And Kuinnu herself was the prize that Marik had to win.  
>"You are very lucky, boy. You're far too old to be turned into a goblin." Marik said with a glare to the 'sleeping' teen. Yes, he was very lucky he was in his adolescent years. Only children, usually under the age of ten, could be turned into goblins. Marik himself never fully understood why that was. But it had something to do with their innocence. And the younger the child, the easier they could be changed into creatures such as the goblins that filled his kingdom. However, once a child began to reach a certain age, they were safe from his magic. And Yami was already 17. His age protected him from the magic that would have transformed him into yet another goblin.<br>"Were I able, I would feed you to the more deadly creatures of my domain. But for now, just remain asleep inside that crystal and act as the bait that brings her deeper into my realm, and my power." The Shadow King said before turning away from him, calling back the crystal orb he had been holding to his hand, and gazing at the image of the young woman who was running through his Labyrinth, trying to reach his palace. "13 hours…" He repeated again slowly, staring with an intense gaze at the azure eyed girl. "In comparison to 16 years… it's not long at all."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2 is finished! Thank you for being so patient with me! This gave me more trouble than it could have been. I was determined to have it end at a particular point and I didn't want to compromise that. But now we have formally introduced Marik, as well as met Mahado and Akefia. Which, now that Marik has made his debut, I have a question for you guys. Who do you think Kuinnu should ultimately end up with in this? Should she be true to Yami? Or should the Goblin King triumph for once?<strong>  
><strong>Also, the song that Kuinnu sings is 'Alice' by Avril Lavigne, from the 2010 'Alice in Wonderland'. There were a lot of lyrics in the song that seemed to fit for Kuinnu's situation, so I put that in and gave Kuinnu the 'first song', replacing 'Dance Magic'. I do intend to have Marik and a few others 'sing' at later points in my fic. Also, at some point, and if enough people are interested, I'll post the FST (fic soundtrack) on my youtube account.<strong>

**Until next time guys!**


	3. Mirrors Never Lie

I don't make any profit from this fic! This is purely for entertainment and fun! _Labyrinth_ belongs to Jim Henson. Yami and the others belong to Kazuki Takahashi. Kuinnu belongs to me!

Chapter 3: Mirrors Never Lie ~Snow White~

_Once upon a time, there was a beautiful but vain queen who had a beautiful young daughter. The Queen had a magic mirror and every day, the Queen would ask the mirror, 'Who is the fairest of them all?' For many a year, the mirror answered that the Queen was indeed the fairest in all the land. Until one day, the mirror, always speaking the truth, told the Queen that it was now her daughter who was the fairest in all the land. The vain Queen was furious and in jealousy she tried to kill her daughter in order to be the fairest in the land once again. But was it the fact that the mirror always told her the truth that she became so afraid of the truth and she eventually went mad with envy?_

* * *

><p>"Where... where the hell am I?" Yami thought to himself as his spirit seemed to float in a great, dark, vast abyss. His entire body felt sore all over, as if he had been stabbed by jagged knives on every inch of his flesh. Or at least, he thought his that body was sore all over. His mind was cloudy, and he couldn't remember very much at the moment. "How did... How the hell did I get here?" The wine colored eyed youth asked himself quietly as he 'sat up' and looked around at his surroundings. There was nothing, nothing but darkness as far as his dark eyes could see for miles around him. "Where the hell am I?" He asked no one before feeling a sharp pain shoot through his chest.<p>

_"I wish the goblins would come and take you away! Right now!"_

The words echoed throughout the space. And they were familiar too. But how was that possible? Yami put one hand to his forehead, trying to remember how he could have ended up in this dark and dismal place. He remembered school, heading to his classes throughout the day like normal. His usual routine of science class, history, followed by English and then lunch. Afterwards, there was algebra, English language and finally last period. He recalled heading to his theater class and rehearsing the play on the school stage with Kuinnu and the others. Then Anzu came and announced that Kuinnu would be pulled out of the show due to the items found inside her locker during the inspection. The two of them running home in the rain and then... His wine colored eyes widened at the memory. He and Kuinnu had been having a small fight in her living room. Then Kuinnu had slapped him across the face before she ran upstairs and locked herself in her room and yelled at him from inside her room. Kuinnu... She had done this to him? Sent him to... wherever or whatever the hell this was? Another sharp pain shot through his chest, remembering his girlfriend, and her words.

_"I wish the goblins would come and take you away! Right now!"_

The words echoed again. And with the echo came another shot of pain. Yes, he could remember a bit more now. When he had heard Kuinnu shout at him through the door, he heard a loud clap of thunder from outside. And then... Then he heard what sounded like strange sounds, like snickering from small creatures. He had tried to find out where or what those sounds came from. However, before he knew what happened, his whole world went black. "I must've passed out for some reason." Yami thought out loud to himself, his head still feeling dizzy. "Well, regardless of what happened, first things first. And that's finding a way out of this… place." He said, turning his gaze towards one direction. "Wherever the hell this is."

_"I wish the goblins would come and take you away! Right now!"_

Kuinnu had always told him many times before that 'words have power'. But he had always assumed that she had simply meant 'actions don't always speak louder than words'. Or that she had been referring to how the wrong words could set off something bad, like in her fairy tales. "Heh. 'Words have power'... I guess that it's really true." Yami thought as he tried to calm down enough so his chest would stop hurting for the time being. "I can ponder about that stuff later. I need to get out of this creepy place, and find Kuinnu." The spikey haired teen decided as he found himself floating in one direction. He wasn't exactly sure what direction it was, but from where he had been 'standing', he had to guess that he was now floating to what would have been west of him. Once he found his girlfriend, they could sort some things out. He felt what he thought was a chill, like a very sudden cold wind, causing him to shiver from the lowered temperature.  
>"Tonight I'm so alone<br>This sorrow takes a hold  
>Don't leave me here so cold…"<p>

_"Never want to be so cold."  
><em>  
>He shut his dark eyes as his thoughts turned back to Kuinnu, remembering their fight. At the thought of the blonde girl, how she had slapped him in the heat of the moment, the mulberry-eyed teen balled his other fist. They'd never argued like that before in their entire relationship. And he felt mad. The spikey haired youth felt mad at himself, and mad at his girlfriend.<p>

"Your touch used to be so kind  
>Your touch used to give me life<br>I've waited all this time,  
>I've wasted so much time!"<p>

Gripping his chest again, the human teen opened his dark eyes and looked up above him. So many emotions were running through his mind and body as he just floated in that cold, dark abyss. Too many to name at that moment. Many of which he was a bit scared to identify. He didn't want to identify them because he worried that the stronger ones may overpower him.

"Don't leave me alone  
>Cause I barely see at all<br>Don't leave me alone,  
>I'm…!<p>

Falling in the black  
>Slipping through the cracks<br>Falling to the depths can I ever go back  
>Dreaming of the way it used to be…!"<p>

_"Can you hear me?"_

Yami swore he that could hear Kuinnu's voice speaking to him. He turned around to look to his right in hopes of catching sight of his princess, but he saw nothing. Only more darkness as far as his garnet colored eyes could see.

"Falling in the black  
>Slipping through the cracks<br>Falling to the depths can I ever go back  
>Falling inside the black<br>Falling inside  
>Falling inside... the black..."<p>

The Japanese teen, shivered again, looking around at his surroundings once more. Regardless of where he was at the moment, he hoped, and even prayed, that Kuinnu was somewhere safe. He didn't want her ending up in a place like this. He reminded himself that, for now, he had to focus on finding a way out of this 'place'. Then, once he found Kuinnu and was sure that they were both safe, then they would talk about how he ended up there in the first place.

* * *

><p>"She's already on the border of the first circle... Almost to the Hall of Mirrors." Marik said quietly to himself as he watched Kuinnu continue on her quest through the Labyrinth via one of his crystals, sitting on his king-sized bed in his private chambers. "Once she goes in there, she'll soon see how much the truth hurts. And then she'll surely give up on trying to rescue that boy." Despite his own words, a part of him had a strong feeling that he knew the infamous Hall of Mirrors alone wouldn't be enough to stop the human girl. The young king was well aware that Kuinnu was incredibly stubborn and the look of determination in her lapis eyes only grew each time that he looked in on her. But that stubbornness was just another aspect of the girl that the Goblin King loved about her. And Marik would enjoy breaking her stubborn spirit. The Shadow King would savor every moment of watching her waver bit by bit, slowly losing more of her trust and devotion for the human boy who was currently sleeping in crystal down in his throne room.<p>

A knock on his door brought the flaxen haired king out of his thoughts, forcing him to sit up and let out an annoyed-sounding 'Enter.' There were very few people who would bother him when he had specifically given an order that he wished to be alone. So it was either one of those few brave people, or someone with a death wish. And judging from the energies he picked up, he knew who it was.  
>The one who entered was a tall man dressed in a dark purple, almost black colored shirt and dark breeches, along with a cloak matching the color of his shirt, with the hood of the cloak half hiding his face. From what could be seen of his face at the moment were many tattooed symbols and images on the left side of his face. The man was known as Rishid, and he was the elder brother of the Goblin King.<p>

Rishid bowed low as he stepped into the room. "My Lord, the kingdom is in an uproar because of that girl. She's a detriment and your people are beginning to doubt your... capabilities..." The quiet man said to the young monarch, his head bowed solemnly.  
>Marik sat up a bit more and narrowed his dark eyes at his brother. "Are you suggesting that I cannot handle one human girl, Rishid?" He asked in a dangerous tone of voice, all the while still regal and commanding.<br>"It is not I but your subjects who say this. They say she is causing havoc. But then simply because she's here she's disrupting lives." Rishid said softly. "But you've become too fixated on her, I think."  
>The King of Shadows stood up from his bed. "Havoc? Is that what they say? Those idiots don't know the meaning of the word. And the ones who do are simply jealous. And as for myself, Rishid..." He said before throwing a force of energy at his elder brother to force him to his knees. "I will do as I wish with that girl. You forget that I have waited 16 years for this, Rishid. She has finally called me to her and I will NOT let this chance pass by." He said firmly. "That girl was born to be mine. And I will hear no further argument on the matter." Marik said in his commanding tone before shutting his regal colored eyes and sitting down on his bed again.<br>The older man stayed bowed, low desperate not to anger his brother more. "Please I meant no disrespect. I only worry for your health. Since her turning 15 even, you've watched over her jealously and have scarcely slept or eaten, your body shows your stress. I fear that are going to fall ill. I pray that not to happen." Rishid said offering up the food and drink he'd brought with him.  
>The youthful looking monarch looked at the offered food and picked up the drink. "Rishid, my health is fine. But Kuinnu, she is meant for me. The Light to my Shadow. The one woman I will give all of myself to." He said as a smirk crossed his lips while raising the cup in order to drink. "My future queen."<br>"I understand. But you know it is part of my nature to worry over you. You're quite special, to all of us and we just don't want to see you hurt because your 'Future Queen' can't make her mind up." Rishid replied honestly.

Marik sipped the drink for a moment, watching his brother and advisor. "She will. Kuinnu is still young and naïve. And as such she doesn't realize yet that I've done her a favor by removing that whelp from her life. And as stubborn and determined as she is, Kuinnu won't be able to make it to the palace in 13 hours on her own."  
>"No not on her own... but with her charisma she's like to attract allies." he said looking away.<br>The young ruler narrowed his eyes a bit. His brother had a point. Kuinnu had a special 'charm' about her that seemed to draw people to her, if given the chance. "That's why I have Akefia following her. To make sure that she's not hurt and make sure no one can help her without my knowledge."  
>"I'm sure Akefia is being cautious as always." the older man said "My Lord... Even so... she... She's a human..." the man trailed off.<br>"What of it?" Marik asked, sipping his drink again.  
>"She'll die here... and you won't. We are immortal, but she's human... a mere mortal. You may spend a few happy decades with her at most before she grows old... grows ugly and dies. Or some terrible illness could take her and claim her life." Rishid said trying to make his brother to see reason.<br>"I can make her immortal." The King said, looking at his reflection in the liquid in his glass. 'But she would have to agree to such a thing first... The rules and laws of our realm... How I hate them.' He thought. As Master of the Shadow Realm, changing a mortal into an immortal of his kingdom was child's play. But the mortal had to agree of their own accord and free will.

The Shadow King sighed lightly and shut his dark lavender eyes, leaning back to rest on the dark golden colored silken sheets and pillows that covered his bed. He began to wonder how Kuinnu would react to the actual age difference between them. While by human standards, Marik only appeared to be about 17, 18 at the most, he was in honestly 1724 years old. Within the Shadow Realm, time passed at a much faster rate. Yet, the inhabitants of the realm aged at a rate much slower than humans. Because of this, many of the members of the Royal Court were granted a sort of immortality. It was also because of this that some members of the court could also appear to be much older than they truly were. However, the unofficial 'rule' to the problem with aging was that most responded to the physical age of a person. Thus, Marik would appear to be 17, his sister would be close to 21 or 22, and his brother would have been about 27 by human standards. Marik himself wasn't sure how the Shadow Realm and the Mortal Realm reacted to time with each other. But as Goblin King and Master of the Labyrinth, time within it bent to his will.

"I do hope that she does accept such a generous offer from you." Rishid said softly, realizing that trying to talk the young king out of it was pointless.  
>"She will, if she wants to save that wretch. Or when she realizes that I am the best man for her." Marik said, sure of himself.<br>"Let us hope..." The older man said looking away.  
>"As for the fools who doubt me, just remind them that I am <em>still<em> the king. Just as I have been for over 1700 years." Marik said, his violet eyes narrowed.  
>"Of course... just... please be cautious." Rishid said softly excusing himself. 'And here's hoping Akefia hasn't lost the girl..' The royal advisor thought to himself.<br>"Rishid, I appreciate your concern. But understand something." The younger man said. "Yes?" The Guardian asked, wincing slightly.  
>The Goblin King leaned back onto his bed, giving a light sigh. "I truly love her, my brother. I've lived for so long, and never loved anyone the way I do her." He said, sounding more like the teenage boy he appeared to be, rather than merely the centuries-old monarch that he was. "The women of the harem are beautiful, but none of them can make my heart beat, and ache the way that she does."<br>"I see... I shall do my best to aid in preventing her from reaching the castle then, so that you may have your queen." Rishid said though not truly willing to do so, but for his brother's happiness he'd do nearly anything  
>"Thank you, Rishid. Make sure Akefia doesn't lose her. She's close to the Hall of Mirrors." Marik said to his brother in a slightly concerned tone.<br>"That is a difficult place to follow someone... Shall I give him a shard or the Mother Mirror so that he may pass through easily?" The older man asked.  
>"No. Tell him to head for the exit. If by some rare chance Kuinnu makes it through, I want to be informed of her location immediately." The King said as he sat up. "That hall will show and say nothing but the truth to the one who is reflected in those mirrors. If she cannot handle that, she'll give up."<br>"Very well." Rishid bowed before standing and taking his leave.

Marik turned his back to Rishid as he left, going over to a large golden mirror that hung on the wall opposite of his bed. Had Kuinnu been present to see it, she would most likely have compared it to the Magic Mirror from _Snow White_. It was in fact very similar, made of pure gold and decorated with jewels and carvings of the western zodiac of the Mortal Realm. "Show me Kuinnu." He ordered the artifact calmly as the surface image began to change. While watching the girl through his crystals was easier, he wanted a 'better view' of the human girl who captivated him so much. He wanted to see her clearly as she traveled through one of the more dangerous parts of his Labyrinth. And it wasn't so much that it was dangerous in a way that would harm her. No, rather it was dangerous because it would test her strength of will against the truth. And he knew very well that Humans were not always willing to accept the truth of certain things. The hall had been created by a previous King, who feared a number of his subjects if not all would turn on him. Thus he created the Hall of Mirrors so that he could discover if his subjects would turn on him or not. But it turned out that the Hall was much stronger than he intended. Marik shook his head a bit, pushing his history lessons to the back of his mind. Watching as Kuinnu's image formed clearly in the mirror, Marik half-wondered how his father would've reacted to the notion that his son was willing to court, let alone plan to marry, a mortal woman.

The Lord of Labyrinth let his lips turn into a scowl. He never thought about his late father that much anymore. Nor he did truly want to do so anyways. The previous Goblin King had been too soft in some ways and too cruel in others. His subjects had hated him more than they feared him. The man had been determined to enforce his rule over as many regions of the Shadow Realm as he was able. Maybe that's one reason why Marik hadn't really cared when he took the throne from his father. Still, there had been one thing his father had told him that Marik had always taken to heart.

_"You could have all the women of the world, but you can only, truly give your heart to only one. And that one woman alone is the one whom you should love with the entirety of your being. The one woman who you would feel should share your throne."  
><em>  
>Marik gave a light sigh, pushing some of his pale blonde hair out of his eyes. His father may have been a royal bastard and a weak king, but he had been extremely loyal to his mother. The late Goblin Queen had been a vision of loveliness and kindness, often showing concern for all the inhabitants of the Labyrinth and most of the Shadow Realm. She had been the one to adopt his elder brother, Rishid, when she found him as a baby. Marik unfortunately never had the chance to know his mother, as she had died soon after giving birth to him. He had even wondered sometimes as a child if because he was somewhat responsible for his mother's early demise that his father had been so harsh on him when it came to his royal duties and training. Marik's lip curled into another scowl of utter disgust at the memories of his father's treatment. He quickly pushed those horrid memories aside as he turned his attention to the girl in the mirror.<br>As he watched the honey-haired girl slowly moving through the great maze, he felt himself relaxing again. Somehow, she was the only one who had that calming effect on him. But that was just another thing that the sandy blonde haired King loved about the young woman. "Be safe, my dearest. The last thing I want is for you to be hurt in the Hall of Mirrors. Even I would not go there unprotected." He whispered before pressing to fingers to his lips and passing the kiss to the girl's image in the glass.

* * *

><p>Kuinnu groaned a bit as she leaned against one of the walls of the Labyrinth. According to her flower, she could only guess that from the one dying petal and the one that she lost earlier, she'd have to say an hour and 30 to 45 minutes had passed since her time began. She'd been wandering around for nearly an hour now, lost. That probably would have put her time at around ten or eleven hours to go. It honestly felt like it had been so much longer than that. Still, she couldn't just sit there and wonder about that now. Each second lost was another second wasted. And each second wasted was more time she lost to rescue Yami from the castle.<p>

After walking for maybe another five minutes, Kuinnu saw a large wooden door block her path. On the archway of the door in ornate silver letters, she was able to read the words 'Hall of Mirrors'. The thought alone made her shiver once. "I guess the only way to keep going is to go inside there." She said to herself as she noticed what appeared to be writing on one of the stones by the door handle.

_'Accept the truth for what it is, or face the eternal madness that is denial.' _It read, written in a sloppy and almost panicked handwriting.  
>Immediately, Kuinnu thought about what Mahado and the worm had said to her. They had warned her that not everything was what it seemed within the walls of the Labyrinth. Perhaps this warning was a false lead. But at the same time, maybe it was a true warning from someone who had entered this place before?<p>

* * *

><p>Akefia was a bit surprised at how fast and how easily he had been able to locate the mortal girl when he finally got to the outer most part of the Labyrinth's walls. Then again, he noticed that the rose in her hair was different. The flower was overflowing with the King's energies. It didn't take the white haired youth long to figure out that the rose was also a sort of tracking device. Akefia doubted that Kuinnu knew that however. But still, the snowy haired man had to give the human girl credit for getting this far already. He saw her stopping every so often to take a quick break and rest her feet, but she never stopped in the sense that she was going to give up. In all honesty, he hoped that the girl would just give up, and preferably sometime soon. He was the Royal Assassin, not a babysitter for some mortal teenage girl, for Darkness' sake.<p>

As he continued to watch the honey haired young woman as she headed towards a new part of the Labyrinth, the copper skinned youth noticed the area she was heading into. One that the natives had named one of the 'killers', mostly due to the fearful power of that particular part of the maze. Its 'true' name was the Hall of Mirrors, and it lived up to its name. For a good solid area there was nothing but that large, winding mirror maze. However, the mirrors themselves had a very special power. Aside from being unbreakable, they had another power. And it was that power that they were feared, even by a good deal of the natives of the Shadow Realm. And the Assassin knew that if Kuinnu was heading in there, chances were that she would give up while she was still inside. More than likely, the Assassin would guess that the King was planning on that happening.

Akefia just sighed lightly as he saw Kuinnu walk through the gateway that led into the Hall. "I hope you can handle the truth, woman. Because you'll hear nothing but the harsh truth that inside that maddening place." He said to no one in particular. And it was true. The terrifying power of the Hall of Mirrors was that each mirror inside was enchanted. When a reflection was cast of a person, the doppelganger would speak only the truth. And usually, the harsh truth, at that. And the reflection would not stop until the person left the infamous Hall. The Assassin decided to take another route in order to find the exit and wait for the girl. There was no way that he was going to follow her inside that place. Because if his own doppelgangers didn't give him away, then just his reflection in the mirrors would certainly alert the girl to his presence.

* * *

><p>Kuinnu couldn't help but shiver lightly as she took in the sight of the 'room' she had stepped into. Clearly it was similar to one of those mirror mazes similar to those carnival fun houses back home. And she <em>hated<em>those things... Part of it was that whenever she would go through one, she ended up hurting herself at least two or three times before she found her way out. The other reason was that she could handle others staring at her. But when you had your own reflection stare at you, let alone dozens of them, it makes you feel like you can't hide anything anymore. At least, that's what Kuinnu thought about it. 'It's ok. Just walk slowly enough so you won't bump into any mirrors by accident. But fast enough that you don't waste too much time in here.' The blonde told herself as she began to move.

Stopping in front of one of the mirrors after she had walked for a few minutes, Kuinnu took a moment to fully admire her reflection. She'd never really thought of herself as beautiful. Pretty, maybe, but never beautiful. Yami, Joey and Tristan had always said that she was beautiful, but the half-American girl sometimes wondered if they were just saying those things to be nice since they were her friends. Her hair was naturally blonde, her eyes were a lovely shade of deep blue and her skin was a pale yet still healthy shade that seemed to fit her perfectly. Or at least, so the guys would tell her. But again, sometimes it felt like they were just saying those things to be nice because they were her friends. The thought of her other two friends made her a tiny bit upset. For a moment she wondered how they might react when she told them about all this when she saw them again. Kuinnu let out a light sigh and turned to continue on through the Hall.

"Look at myself. Do I really dress like that?" A voice said to the girl, causing Kuinnu to jump back a bit in surprise.  
>"And look at that hair. Oh gods it's so plain it's almost criminal." Another but very similar voice said, sounding distressed.<br>"Who's there?" Kuinnu called out, struggling not to sound scared at the moment. She was trying... and failing at hiding her fear.  
>"Over here, little girl. Just follow the cold chill running down your spine." The first voice said with a chuckle.<br>Seeing nothing better to do than follow the advice she was given, the human girl turned around, only to see her reflection in the mirror across from her. Confusion crossed her features as she moved forward, wondering what that voice had meant. It didn't take long for her to figure it out, as her image in the mirror began to move on her own, while Kuinnu was staying still. "Who the hell are you?" Kuinnu asked, stepping away from one mirror image only to bump into another one.  
>"Don't you know, <em>princess<em>? We're you!" The reflection across from her, who she had silently dubbed 'Kuinnu A', said. "We're the real you."  
>"And unlike you, we don't hide the truth." The other one, or 'Kuinnu B', said with a chuckle.<br>"This is some sort of trick... It has to be." Kuinnu thought out loud, turning and trying to get away from the two doppelgangers. It was pointless, however, since the entire room was lined up side to side with mirrors. Thus no matter how long nor how far she ran, her two tormenters were right there with her.  
>"Look. She's scared. But that's not anything new. Always running to a library to read a fairy tale. Or the theater room to put on a costume and turn into someone who's she's not." Kuinnu A taunted with a cruel laugh.<br>"You're not real! So just shut up!" Kuinnu yelled, running further down the hall to try and get away from her cruel and taunting mirror-selves.  
>"Running away isn't going to help you any, princess!" Kuinnu B only snapped at the scared teenage girl, laughing at the 'true' girl's fear, almost gleefully.<br>'This isn't happening! I'm not listening!' Kuinnu yelled in her mind as she began to run. "You're not real!"  
>"Even now you're trying to run away from the truth. Just like when you wished away your own boyfriend!" Kuinnu A said.<br>"You did this to him!" Kuinnu B said firmly. "And now, he could be suffering all alone in a dark dungeon just because of your childish selfishness!"  
>"It's all your fault! You're the reason that he's suffering in Marik's palace right now!" Kuinnu A added to the taunts.<br>"If you fail this thing, and he pays for it, that'll be your fault too!" Kuinnu B said, pointing a finger at the human girl.

Kuinnu finally stopped in front one of the mirrors directly in front of her, a few tears falling down her cheeks as she hung her head. The two other versions of her were right. She had done this, because she was trying to escape reality. She didn't want to listen to her boyfriend's words so she shut him out.

_'Accept the truth for what it is, or face the eternal madness that is denial.'_

Now she understood what that warning meant. This place, these mirrors, forced a person to hear the truths they didn't want to hear.

"Admit it. You're afraid to face the truth because it hurts like hell." Kuinnu A said, her arms crossed in front of her chest.  
>"You're right..." Kuinnu said slowly, surprising her doppelgangers by her words. "This is all my fault. I got my boyfriend, my prince, caught up in this because I shot my mouth off without thinking. Because I didn't want to listen to him about how childish I had been. Marik was right. I do give my temper free reign. But I never meant for this to happen to anyone. I honestly didn't know that by saying those words, that I would actually wish him away." The mortal maiden said, lifting her hands to the surface of the mirror she stood in front of. Surprisingly, her reflection did the same, copying her movements exactly as she lifted her head.<br>The two 'fake' versions of Kuinnu just watched the honey haired young woman. They were still surprised that she had freely admitted to their words being true so easily. Most people who came into the Hall of Mirrors were too ashamed of their deeds to accept the truth. Thus, they denied it to the point that they ran back out of the hall in a fearful panic.

Kuinnu looked at her reflection, wiping away her tears slowly. Standing there and crying would not help anything. Yet, it did help her a little bit. Help her to accept that she was not as strong as she wanted to believe she was. But that only meant she would have to get stronger. She kept telling herself that as she put her hand back on the mirror's surface.  
>"Mirror Mirror lie to me,<br>Show me what I wanna see  
>Mirror Mirror lie to me<p>

Why don't I like the girl I see?  
>The one who's standing right in front of me?<br>Why don't I think before I speak?  
>I should've listened to that voice inside me…" The young woman sang, trying to further strengthen her resolve. Maybe she wasn't as strong as the super heroines in her mangas and her animes, but that didn't mean she would give up now. She had come too far already. She was not going to give up. Not now, not ever.<br>Her reflections just copied her movements and began to sing along with her, their voices harmonizing with one another as the teenager kept up her song.  
>"I must be stupid<br>Must be crazy  
>Must be out of my mind<br>To say the kind of things I said last night!

Mirror Mirror hanging on the wall  
>You don't have to tell me who's the biggest fool of all<br>Mirror Mirror I wish you could lie to me  
>And bring my baby back<br>Bring my baby back to me

Mirror Mirror lie to me  
>Show me what I wanna see<br>Mirror Mirror lie to me  
>Show me what I wanna see..."<p>

Her resolve and her hopes renewed for the moment, Kuinnu began to move once again through the Hall of Mirrors. Standing around and just doing nothing in front of the mirror would only waste time. And that was something that she absolutely couldn't afford to do. Not when she had so much to lose on the line. She kept her one hand on the mirror's surface, trying to make sure that she wouldn't hurt herself by accident as she moved through the mirror maze.

"Why did I let you walk away?  
>When all I had to do was say I'm sorry...<br>I let my pride get it the way  
>And in the heat of the moment I was to blame<p>

I must be stupid  
>Must be crazy<br>Must be out of my mind  
>Now in the cold light of the day I realize...!<p>

Mirror Mirror hanging on the wall  
>You don't have to tell me who's the biggest fool of all<br>Mirror Mirror I wish you could lie to me  
>And bring my baby back<br>Bring my baby back to me...!" She sang, picking up her pace as what seemed to be a pathway appeared to be leading her in the right direction in order to leave the Hall of Mirrors. With her free hand, she gripped her necklace charm again, remembering her vow to save Yami from Marik's castle. She wasn't going to let her prince stay in this place. Although she couldn't see it, the tiny rose in her charm was giving off a very tiny glow as she held her charm.

* * *

><p><em>"If only wishes could be dreams and all my dreams could come true<br>There would be two of us standing in front of you!"  
><em>  
>Yami turned his head behind him, hearing what he knew to be Kuinnu's voice. She sounded confused and scared, but she was singing. And he knew that Kuinnu would sing if she wanted to make herself feel better for some reason. "Kuinnu?" He called out to her as he tried to listen in on what his princess was singing. And as he turned his body, he saw what appeared to be a soft, pink light coming from the direction of her voice. Yami wasn't sure why he felt so sure about that light, but anything was better than staying and floating in this dark limbo. Propelling himself forward, he shot off as fast as he could in the direction of the light, reaching out for it, like a lifeline.<p>

_"If you could show me that someone I used to be  
>Bring my baby,<br>My baby to me!"_

* * *

><p>Yes, everything her mirror-selves had said was true. But there was something else that was true. She made this mess, she would fix it. She loved her prince, Yami, and she would save him from the Castle beyond the Goblin City. And she would <em>never<em> give up or give in.  
>"Mirror Mirror hanging on the wall<br>You don't have to tell me who's the biggest fool of all  
>Mirror Mirror I wish you could lie to me<br>and bring my baby back  
>Bring my baby back<p>

Mirror Mirror hanging on the wall  
>You don't have to tell me who's the biggest fool of all<br>Mirror Mirror I wish you could lie to me  
>And bring my baby back<br>Bring my baby back…

To me...

Mirror Mirror lie to me  
>Show me what I wanna see<br>Mirror Mirror lie to me  
>Mirror Mirror lie to me<br>Show me what I wanna see  
>Mirror Mirror lie to me..."<p>

Kuinnu kept singing, even as she found a large door. Upon reaching a large and ornate silver door, Kuinnu realized instantly that she'd found the correct way out. And after all of this, she'd be more than glad to see the plain stone walls of the Labyrinth once again. On top of that, she had lost another petal while running around inside that creepy mirror hall. Time was slowly slipping away, and she only had so much time left. And at this point, she had to guess that she was down to under ten hours remaining to complete this quest.

As Kuinnu pushed open the door that freed her from the Hall of Mirrors, far away at the center of the Labyrinth, inside Marik's palace, the blue crystal that held the imprisoned human boy began to crack as Yami's garnet eyes shot open.

* * *

><p>FINALLY! This chapter wanted to be a total bitch. Thus I have to give a big thanks to my best friend, Amber, for helping me with this chapter. Also, I want to remind you guys that I'm holding a contest! Create a character for the story and your character could get a major role in the plot!<br>Details here: http:/ angelofbeauty88 .d e v i a n t a r t .com/journal/CONTEST-UPDATE-271092498 (minus the spaces)  
>But now Yami is awake! Kuinnu has gotten through one of the more dangerous areas of the Labyrinth. And more of Marik's intentions and feelings have been revealed! But how was Yami able to sense Kuinnu in his 'prison'? Where was he in the first place? And now that Kuinnu has gotten through another obsticle, what will Marik do to stop her next?<p>

Songs for this chapter are 'Falling inside the Black' by Skillet and 'Mirror, Mirror' by M2M.


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